Chapter Eighty: A Few Things About Mewtwo (Overslept, will update more this afternoon.)

The atmosphere was suspended in a strange, eerie stillness.

Chen Ou did not enjoy exposing people's wounds, yet the question of Mewtwo's existence haunted him deeply. What was the true purpose behind Mewtwo's creation? If the aim was to use him to conquer the world, did Dr. Fuji himself harbor such ambitions when he brought Mewtwo into being? If not, what was his purpose? Was it fulfilled? If neither world conquest nor Dr. Fuji's goal had been achieved, then what meaning did Mewtwo's existence hold?

From the moment Chen Ou met the elderly Fuji, countless questions surged through his mind, one after another. In the end, he voiced only a single question.

Back on Earth, Chen Ou had merely admired how impressive and powerful Mewtwo appeared. But after arriving in this world, studying under Professor Oak, and discussing Mewtwo with Red and Green, his perspective shifted entirely.

Only when one personally embraces a certain philosophy does one begin to question actions that contradict it.

Old Fuji sat in silence, his eyes unfocused—not so much in remembrance as in avoidance.

"I imagine Mewtwo himself must be puzzled by this very question," Chen Ou said, gazing intently and sincerely into Fuji's eyes.

Indeed, Giovanni had ordered Mewtwo's creation—his plan had simply failed. Dr. Fuji had carried out those orders—his research had merely gone awry.

But what about Mewtwo? Was his very existence problematic? That was the root of Mewtwo's anguish. He felt utterly out of place, neither belonging to the world of humans nor the world of Pokémon.

He was the loneliest traveler. That was why he created clones of other Pokémon—he was searching for family, for kin. Mewtwo was just a child without a home...

Old Fuji gave a bitter laugh, then rasped, "I figured you’d ask me about Mewtwo, though I thought you’d want to know how to create him."

The cold tone of a scientist.

Chen Ou shook his head. For him, creating another Mewtwo was not difficult; as long as he had access to the relevant research, the rest was a mere technicality. Even if Fuji wouldn’t provide it, Team Rocket certainly would. He had little connection with Team Rocket, but there was always Red.

If Red wasn't enough, there was Silver. As Silver’s senior, it would be reasonable to ask Giovanni for the research. After all, Chen Ou had helped Silver considerably. But that was a matter for another time.

The most critical material for creating Mewtwo was a fossilized eyelash from Mew.

But that was almost a joke—Chen Ou could strip Mew of all its fur if he wished!

(“Mew: Stay away from me!!!”)

Thus, for Chen Ou, the only real question was whether he wanted to create Mewtwo—not whether he could.

"Do you accept the existence of Mewtwo?" Old Fuji, seeing Chen Ou’s silent shake of the head, asked again.

Chen Ou pondered. To him, Mewtwo was like a child born out of wedlock—the fault lay with the parents, not the child.

"I believe Mewtwo’s existence is meaningful, though I don’t know what that meaning is," Chen Ou replied regretfully, shaking his head. His own existence had meaning, and yet he still felt Mewtwo's appearance was a mistake.

Chen Ou was conflicted. Mewtwo, like a clone, raised ethical dilemmas that could not be untangled.

"When I created Mewtwo, I was still young. Well, not exactly—it was only a few years ago," Dr. Fuji recalled, his expression wistful.

Chen Ou straightened, listening closely to Fuji’s memories, flowing like water.

"My initial purpose in creating Mewtwo was simply to prove myself. So, together with Shaber, I began the research, hoping that when Mewtwo was born, it would shock the scientific world and everyone would witness our greatness."

Dr. Fuji’s voice brimmed with indignation, as if recalling injustices endured years ago.

"But we failed. We didn’t consider Mewtwo’s personality, and so we poured human knowledge into his mind without hesitation. But I never expected things to turn out this way..."

His words grew increasingly bitter.

Chen Ou was curious—he wasn’t sure if the man before him was the Fuji from the games or the Dr. Fuji from the movie.

That question concerned Mewtwo’s current situation. From the information he had gathered, this was most likely the Dr. Fuji from the movie. But lacking certainty, Chen Ou kept his thoughts to himself.

"You asked, 'What meaning does Mewtwo's existence hold?' Correct?"

Dr. Fuji asked.

"Yes," Chen Ou answered openly. It was hardly a shameful question; any scholar interested in Mewtwo would ask it.

In the field shaped by Professor Oak’s philosophy of “the relationship between Pokémon and humans,” Mewtwo was a special case. But since Mewtwo was unknown to most, the topic rarely came up.

Professor Oak believed Mewtwo was a bridge between humans and Pokémon. He possessed the body of a Pokémon, yet the mind of a human. This was evident in Mewtwo's self-identification as a trainer.

"For me, Mewtwo’s existence is a lesson learned from failure. But for him, I believe Mewtwo can be a bridge of communication between humans and Pokémon," Dr. Fuji said, his voice full of hope. This was the meaning of Mewtwo’s existence he had pondered for years, and he hoped Mewtwo could one day understand, so he would no longer be troubled by a search for purpose.

Chen Ou: ...

Stunned—Mewtwo is me.

Damn it, why does this purpose sound so much like the task Arceus gave me? Am I stealing Mewtwo’s job, or is Mewtwo stealing mine?

Seeing Chen Ou’s strange expression, Old Fuji asked, "You don’t agree?"

Chen Ou snapped back to reality, quickly shaking his head. "No, what you said makes sense—it really resonates. I’m starting to panic."

Dr. Fuji scratched his head at Chen Ou’s rambling, then shook it.

‘It must be some new phrase among young people. It’s natural I don’t understand.’

With that, Old Fuji stopped worrying about it.

He smiled in relief; after so many years, he could finally share his thoughts about Mewtwo with someone.

He stood, walked to a nearby bookshelf, and took out a notebook, solemnly handing it to Chen Ou.

"This is the journal of Mewtwo’s birth. I give it to you. I can tell you truly care about Mewtwo. If you ever meet him, please tell him for me: I’m sorry..."

Chen Ou stared at the earnest old Fuji and the notebook in his hand, utterly bewildered.

What just happened???

ps. The world view is a blend of animation, manga, games, movies, plus my own modifications. Please, scholars, forgive the liberties—just treat it as a parallel universe.